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Rice University Athletics
Football: Ken Hatfield's Monday Quotes
9/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
"The kicking game was so instrumental, and the (71-yard) punt return (by Tulsa's Donald Shoals) was the biggest play of the game. Their punter did an outstanding job of keeping us backed up. He had a couple of 57-yard punts in the air, one into the wind. We had an inability to make something happen in the kicking game.
"Defensively, we played as good a game as we have played in a long time. In 58 plays, they only made 112 yards, and that was outstanding. They completed only 10 passes, and that was by a quarterback who had passed for 373 yards the week before. Two times that we turned the ball over on our end of the field, we kept them out of the end zone. They got field goals off both of those. We try to play a field-position game, trying to make them go a long way, but we didn't do a good enough job of that.
"Offensively, we moved the ball, but we were our own worst enemies. Three key penalties, one after a seven-yard gain on first down inside their 20. Then we don't make it on fourth down.
"We had missed opportunities. We had two guys open in play-action passes early in the game. Those are plays we have to hit, and when we hit them it makes a big difference in the game. If we don't, it lets the other team hang around. When you let a team on the ropes stay in the game, they gain a lot of confidence."
On the Rice quarterbacks -- "Ben Wulf provided us some good depth, hitting another touchdown pass. The strength of his arm showed on the last play of the game when he threw the ball 65 yards in the air. He's been our fourth-team quarterback but now is playing some critical downs. With Jeremy Hurd out and not being able to get Kyle Herm much practice time, Ben is doing a great job for us.
"It looks like Corey Evans will be alright this week. He got bunged a little in the Tulsa game."
On the Oklahoma game -- "I'm glad they had a week off to get ready for us. They just about eat everybody up at home. They are really good at home, and that will be a challenge. They have a great enthusiasic Southern-football environment, a great tradition at their place. They throw the ball extremely well, and their defense is lightning-quick.
"Oklahoma has the running game to go with that great passing game. They do an outstanding job. They've thrown the ball as much as they've run it in the first two games, but they will run it and they're very good at it.
"In two of the games we've played, against Houston and Tulsa, our defense shut down their running games. Houston got 45 yards and Tulsa 70 yards or so. That's two yards per carry. When you do that, it gives you a chance to be in the game. We have to do that against Oklahoma, no different. We have to stop the running game. I know it might open the passing game, as proficient as they are, but still, that's the way to play. If you don't stop the running game, you're in for a long afternoon."
On playing another ranked team -- "In the Michigan game, we gave them two field-position touchdowns right away. That was really disappointing. But we will draw on that. We have to play a solid kicking game so we don't give them anything easy. Our kids know they way we played in the last three quarters at Michigan, so it should boost their confidence playing Oklahoma."
